The European Union (EU) expressed concern on Sunday that Turkey maintains a close partnership with Russia, despite the war in Ukraine and harsh Western sanctions against Moscow.
The deepening of economic ties between Turkey and Russia is “a cause for great concern,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a letter to the EU Parliament, Funke Media Group reported today.
Also concerning is Turkey’s continued policy of “not adhering to the EU’s restrictive measures against Russia,” it said in the letter.
Borrell indicated, according to this information, that the EU and Turkey form a customs union, which guarantees the free movement of goods, which includes “dual-use” goods, goods that can be used for civil and military purposes.
“It was important that Turkey did not offer Russia any solution to the sanctions,” Borrell warned.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to speak with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts over the weekend to discuss “strengthening” a deal on the UN-sponsored Black Sea grain corridor.
The phone calls with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymir Zelensky come amid lingering issues over the July deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, allowing Ukrainian grain to be exported through a Black Sea corridor.
Source: TSF
